2 of world’s largest helitankers back on duty to fight wildfires in Southern California – Press Telegram


The hot weather, coupled with years of drought, will increase the risk of wildfires in southern California, and many aircraft, including two of the world’s largest drone helicopters, will return to work.

Emergency response force in a portable fire station, one fire helicopter, another for thirty, two Chinok CH-47 helicopters and their own crews. They have been on high alert since June 24, and are waiting until mid-November to respond to fires in the Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties.

Their service includes the hottest and windy parts of the year in California, which has experienced eight years of drought over the past decade. That has led to some of the worst droughts on the West Coast, which could increase the risk of wildfires, said National Meteorologist Tyler Salas.

Officials from Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange County and Southern California Edison said in a joint news release Friday that the force was mobilizing for the second year in a row following a massive wildfire in Southern California.

A.D. By 2021, the plane has been operating more than 50 times, officials said, and has helped it cope with emergencies such as the Tuna fire in Mali.

The two CH-47s each carry up to 3,000 gallons of water or fire, making them one of the largest firefighting aircraft in the world. They, as well as the 1,000-gallon Sikorsky 61 Helitanker, can fill their tanks while hovering and unload their cargo day and night.

The $ 18 million emergency response force is supported by Edison, Southern California.

The utility lines are connected to the original fire source. A.D. In 2021, the company was one of several Southern California energy suppliers that submitted plans to the State Public Utilities Commission to spend $ 13 billion on firefighting equipment.

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